One Small Change
by GitaMerah
Summary: One small change is all it takes to change their entire future. Nine never regenerates at the Game Station. Instead, he and Rose continues on to have the adventure they never thought they would ever have. AU after Game Station. Nine/Rose.
1. Chapter 1

This story will be AU starting from the Game Station & on. This isn't a rewrite, meaning I won't be following every single episode. I will do a few that I deem necessary to the plot, but it will be completely different from canon and might happen out of order. Most of the adventures will be original, though.

I'll be honest and say that this story has no ending planned. It's meant to be Nine & Rose's happy ending, which means it will continue on and on and hopefully, span into a long saga. We'll probably never get to Ten (sorry, David fans. I love him and all, but Nine needs his happy ending too).

I won't say what all the pairings are, but I plan on including Tegan/Marriner sometime in the future (my other OTP!). There'll be other companions too, both past and future, but not everyone will be there. There will be no Amy, Rory, or River in this story. Sorry.

To those of you following A Ripple In Time, don't worry. It's still being updated. I'm not giving up on that one.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, Rose would have stayed and made lots and lots of Time Babies with the Doctor. Since this is (sadly) not the case, clearly, I am not affiliated with Doctor Who in any way, shape or form. I'm not making any money out of this, either.

**Chapter 1**

"The power's going to kill you and it's my fault!" The Doctor's eyes filled with anguish as he looked at the woman who had come to mean everything to him. Before meeting her, he was nothing more than a battle-scarred old man, too weary to keep going but unable to stop. And then she came along and suddenly, life seemed worth living again. He had her presence to ease his loneliness, her smile to wipe away his pain, and her voice of reason to calm his anger. She became his anchor. His reason for living.

How was he supposed to go on without her?

"I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be," Rose said as her eyes glowed gold.

_Then why can't you see that I can't live without you? If you die, I'll die with you. Can't you see that, Rose?_

"Doctor…" Rose spoke in an anguished tone. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were glazed, but they were darting to and fro, as if she was seeing images that she alone could see.

"Rose, you have to let go," he begged. His hearts were pounding with worry. He had never been more scared in his entire life. Time was running out for his Rose. She needed to let go of the time vortex. _Now_. Before it burned her.

"My head." Rose winced all of the sudden.

The Doctor's eyes widened. _Time's run out_. He had to get the power out of her. _Now_.

But Rose still wasn't letting go.

The Doctor swallowed hard. There was only one thing left he could do. It would kill him, but it's the only way to save her.

"Come here." He took a step towards her, hoping that she would let him do what he now knew he must do.

For awhile, it looked as if she would let him. But suddenly, her eyes widened, as if she had just realized something.

"No." Rose looked at the Doctor steadfastly.

"You're going to burn, Rose! And it's my fault! Rose…" The Doctor's voice shook with fear. If she didn't let go soon, she would die. "Rose, you've got to stop this. Let me stop it."

"I can't…" Rose's tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I can't lose you again, Doctor."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rose. I'm right here."

"But I'll never see you again. _This_ you." Rose looked at him sadly.

_What?_ The Doctor looked at her in surprise and confusion. What did she mean, '_This_ you'? Surely she couldn't mean regeneration? He hadn't even told her about that. How could she know?

"But I'll still be here, Rose. Still me, even if the outside changes." The Doctor took a gamble and hoped she was just talking about regeneration.

"But the next you, he'll leave me behind. On that blasted beach," Rose spoke with pain in her eyes. There was sadness there that he had never seen before and never wished to see in her eyes again.

_Beach? What beach?_ The Doctor frowned in confusion. She said she could see everything. Was she talking about the future? Before he could ask, Rose suddenly closed her eyes and exhaled the golden energy from the time vortex from her mouth.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he watched the energy flow out of Rose and back into the TARDIS. His hearts began to pound with nervous hope. She was finally letting go, but would it work? Could she get it all out on her own?

As the last of the energy left Rose, the golden glow around her disappeared. Rose's eyes drifted shut and she swayed on her feet. The Doctor rushed to catch her before she fell unconscious.

oOo

Rose blinked awake. She looked around and saw that she was back in her bed on the TARDIS. She rubbed her head and yawned. She felt as if she had just come out of a very long and complicated dream, but when she tried to recall them, memories of the dream kept fleeing from her conscious mind. Try as she might, she couldn't remember a single thing from the dream.

Wait… why was she dreaming in the first place? When did she go to bed? The last thing she remembered was being with Mickey in the ball park. No, wait… she went somewhere after that ball park… did she?

Blimey, her head felt like it was filled with cotton. Her memories were sort of hazy. Her mind was filled with hazy memories of singing and lots of golden light, but that's probably from the dream she had just now. Did she go back to the TARDIS and go into her old room? Why would she do that?

Her bedroom door slid open, revealing the Doctor with a worried expression on his face. When he saw that she was awake, his eyes widened.

"Rose!" He cried out with obvious relief as he rushed to her bedside.

"Doctor?" Rose looked at him in confusion. How could he be here? She could have sworn she'd left him back at the Game Station (or, more accurately, he tricked her into going back to the TARDIS and sent her and the ship back to London _without_ him). Or did she remember that wrong? Or was it all a dream?

Rose propped herself up on her bed. The Doctor quickly placed his hand on her back to help her sit up.

"What happened?" She asked while searching her memories for any gaps.

"Don't you remember?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. He looked at her with a strange, cautious look in his eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? Was there something wrong with her?

"I was at home. No, I wasn't. I was in the TARDIS." Rose frowned a she tried to remember. There were flashes of memories of both the ballpark and the TARDIS, but they were all in a jumbled mess, she couldn't make out which memory came first.

The Doctor said nothing. He looked at her expectantly, as if he was patiently waiting for her to remember more.

"But… didn't you stay behind at the Game Station?" Rose asked.

"That's right. I stayed." He nodded.

Rose's eyes widened. So her memory _was_ correct! At that realization, she glared at him and thwacked his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The Doctor rubbed his arm and pouted.

"You tricked me into going home!" Rose glared at him.

"And I'd do it again if I had to!"

"I would've stayed with you. I _wanted_ to stay with you."

"I know." He looked away guiltily.

"Doctor." She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her. "I wouldn't have wanted you to face them alone."

Sadness filled his eyes. "And let you die with me? I couldn't do that, Rose. Not to you."

"And you think I would've been happy staying home, watching telly, eating beans on toast, knowing you're out here, dying, on your own?"

"You'd be alive."

"It's not a life I would have wanted to live."

"It's better than dying with me."

She touched his cheek again, her thumb absent-mindedly caressing the harsh lines on his face. "I chose this life with you, Doctor. For better or for worse, I'm never going to leave you. Even if it means dying with you."

He placed his hand over hers and let out a trembling breath. "Don't die my sake, Rose. I'm not worth it."

"But you are. You're worth everything," Rose said while looking at him intently. She wished he could see how much he meant to her. She couldn't imagine living a life without him next to her. When he sent her home, it felt as if half of her soul was torn away from her. She couldn't breathe, eat, or sleep without worrying about him and wishing he was still with her.

The Doctor looked at her with something akin to awe in his eyes. He touched her cheek almost reverently. Rose's heart fluttered in her chest. He looked at her with such intensity that it made her feel as if all he could see in his eyes was her. As if she was the only woman in the universe to him.

"Rose?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to kiss you."

Rose's breath caught. Did he just…? Did she hear that right?

"That alright?" He asked with uncertainty in his eyes.

"Yeah." Rose replied breathlessly as her heart began to pound. Then, she smiled. "Yeah. More than alright."

The Doctor's eyes brightened. His eyes shuttered close as he leaned his head towards her. Very gently, he brushed his lips against hers. He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers.

"I almost lost you," he said with a shuddering breath.

"I'm here now. You're never going to get rid of me," she said with a smile.

"Wouldn't want to." He grinned. "You're stuck with me, now."

"No one else I'd rather be stuck with." She grinned back at him.

He grinned, then captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Rose leaned into his kiss returned his kiss with equal fervor. He nibbled gently on her lower lip, tasting her while his hands roamed down her side and slip under the hem of her shirt.

Rose's breath caught as his hand roamed higher and brushed the edge of her bra. The Doctor paused and looked at her hesitantly.

"This alright?" He asked.

Instead of answering, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in for another kiss. Emboldened by this, the Doctor toyed with the edges of her bra and slipped his fingers underneath. Rose bit back a moan when she felt his hand brush the tip of her breasts.

He pulled her shirt and bra off, then paused and raked his gaze over her with desire clearly written in his eyes.

"Did I pass your inspection, Doctor?" Rose grinned with the tip of her tongue peeking out.

"With flying colors." He grinned before pushing her down onto the mattress. He kissed her fervently and slowly nibbled his way down her neck and onto her shoulders. He left a trail of wet kisses as he made his way down. When he reached her nipples, he gave a tentative lick. Rose moaned and arched into his mouth.

As he sucked on her nipples, his other hand trailed down and slipped underneath her knickers. Rose's heart began to pound as his fingers brushed against her clit. With swift strokes, he massaged her clit and pushed a finger into her. She moaned and bucked against his hand. The Doctor groaned at the sound, sending delicious ripples down her nipples as he sucked on and teased them.

"Doctor…" She pleaded. She was close. Oh, so close.

He paused and pulled away from her. Rose felt bereft at the sudden loss of his touch. The smug grin on his face told her he knew exactly how close she was. _Bastard_.

"Jacket. Off. _Now_." Rose glared at him with a haze of lust in her eyes while she tugged his leather jacket off his shoulders.

"So bossy." He grinned as he helped her take his jacket off.

"You want bossy? I'll give you bossy. Take off your clothes and fuck me right now or I'll finish it off myself."

"Yes, Mistress." He grinned in amusement as he took the rest of his clothes off and rejoined her back in bed.

Rose smiled smugly. Never let it be said that you can't train an old Time Lord.

He pulled off her knickers and trousers, then positioned himself between her legs. Rose's breath caught when she felt his erection nudge against her. He looked into her eyes and kept his gaze on her as he slowly pushed in. Rose gasped at the jolt of pleasure she felt as he slid in and out of her.

"Rose…" He moaned as he increased his rhythm. Delicious friction sent waves of pleasure down her core. She could feel her orgasm building once more.

"So close… Doctor…"

"Oh, Rose," he moaned breathlessly. He trailed his hand down and massaged her clit while he pumped in and out of her. A shuddering pleasure enveloped her. Rose couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as she bucked against him.

He groaned as her walls tightened around him. His motion grew frenzied.

The Doctor moaned as he felt his own orgasm wash over him. He bucked his hips as he spilled inside her.

They both stilled as they calmed their breaths. He smiled and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he whispered breathlessly.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, then answered, "I love you, Doctor. Always."

He smiled, then slowly slid out of her and laid next to her on the bed. Exhausted, the two lovers slowly closed their eyes and drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rose woke up nestled in a cocoon of warmth. She felt an unfamiliar weight on her waist. She opened her eyes curiously and realized that the Doctor had spooned her in his sleep with his arm wrapped possessively around her. She smiled, then blushed as memories of what they'd done earlier replayed in her mind. A yawn escaped her mouth. Rose stretched, but paused when she felt his arm tighten around her.

Smiling, she turned around in his arms to face him. His blue eyes cracked open.

"Alright?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Mm-hmm." Rose smiled and snuggled into his bare chest. "Mmm. I could get used to this."

His arm tightened around her.

"You could. If… if you want." His voice shook nervously.

"Hm?" Rose looked up at him in confusion.

"You could, I don't know… sleep with me from now on?" He looked at her unsurely. It was the same look he gave her when he first asked her to travel with him that day they met.

Rose smiled. Instead of answering, she reached up and kissed his lips.

"Is that a yes?" He said with a grin.

"Oh, yes." Rose answered with a matching grin.

His grin widened. He flipped her over and hovered over her. Then, he bent his head down and captured her lips in his.

It would be another hour before either of them deigned to get out of bed.

oOo

When they did finally get out of bed, the Doctor all but dragged Rose to the infirmary.

"Doctor, I'm _fine_," Rose protested as he hoisted her up onto the examination table.

"I know you are, but I just want to be sure. You _fainted_ Rose," the Doctor said as he dragged a large, curved device to the top of the examination table, then said to Rose, "Now, lay down and stay still."

Rose sighed. She supposed there was no arguing with him when he was being overprotective like this. So, she did as he instructed and watched as he turned on the curved device.

"What's that, anyway?" She asked as the device hummed to life and lifted to a hovering position above her.

"Just a basic scanner. Now, stay still," the Doctor said as the device slowly moved over her. It did a slow pass down to her feet, then a quick one back up before turning itself off again. The Doctor raced to a nearby monitor to look at the results.

Feeling curious, Rose sat up and joined him by the monitor. There, she saw a basic outline of her body and a bunch of those circular writing that she had secretly dubbed as Time Lord alphabet. Then, Rose noticed a faint ghosting of golden fog swirling inside the outline of her body on the monitor.

"What's that?" Rose asked while pointing at the golden fog. It wasn't a lot, just a small amount, barely more than a fistful. Had she not been watching closely, she would never have noticed it.

"Traces of radiation from the Time Vortex. You've got a little bit left in you," he answered.

Rose's eyes widened. Radiation? That couldn't be good… could it?

"Is… is that bad?" She asked unsurely.

"I don't see any damage or any signs of neural or tissue degeneration on your body. It's a very small amount, so you should be fine. I'll have to keep checking every few days, just to be sure, so don't complain next time I drag you in here," he eyed her intently.

Rose's shoulders sagged in relief, then asked, "How'd I get that in me?"

The Doctor paused. He turned to look at her and asked, "You remember when you opened the heart of the TARDIS?"

"I…" Rose frowned and searched her memory. She had vague recollections of getting her mother and Mickey to help her with the TARDIS. There was a yellow truck, and then… and then… what happened after that? She couldn't remember. She shook her head and said, "Is that what I did? All I remember is going inside the TARDIS. Mum and Mickey helped me. I don't remember much after that. There was… a yellow truck? And… singing?"

"A yellow truck?" The Doctor looked at her incredulously. "What did you do to my TARDIS?"

"Erm…" Rose shifted from foot to foot guiltily. "I… I don't remember. Sorry."

"Right. Remind me to do maintenance later," the Doctor mumbled quietly. To her, he said, "Remember Blon, the Slitheen?"

"Yeah." Rose nodded.

"The console opened for her. She looked into the time vortex," the Doctor said.

Rose's eyes widened in realization. "Is that what I did?"

The Doctor nodded and added, "You looked into the time vortex, Rose. Took it all in. Almost killed you!"

"I… I'm sorry." Rose hugged herself and looked away in guilt. "I just… I didn't want you to have to face them alone."

The Doctor's expression softened. He sighed and drew her into his arms.

"I sent you away so you'd be safe," he muttered.

"I don't want safe. I want to stay with you," she replied.

"I was going to die, Rose."

Rose stiffened. She had no idea. "But… the delta wave…"

"Didn't have time to refine it. Would've… would've killed everyone," the Doctor said with guilt in his voice.

"Everyone?" Rose looked up at him in disbelief.

"Everyone." His jaws tensed. He looked away from her, though he didn't let her go.

"And the humans?"

"Dead. Everyone on the station and on Earth would've died. There are colonies out there. Enough to continue your species. You would live on, somehow."

He let go and turned away from her completely. Rose slumped onto the examination table as the weight of what almost happened washed over her. _Genocide_. Her Doctor had nearly committed genocide and killed her own people. Billions of human lives nearly died at his hands.

_But he had no choice._

_Didn't he?_

She glanced at the man whom she had trusted from day one. A memory of being stuck in the conference room at Downing Street replayed in her mind:

"_If I don't dare, everyone dies,"_ her Doctor had said back then.

"_Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."_

Rose turned to look at the man she loved. That's who he was, a man who had to make decisions no one else wanted to make. It was a choice between her people or the rest of the universe.

_He had no choice_.

She got up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. The Doctor turned to face her with a stunned look in his eyes.

"I love you," she said.

"Even after—"

"Yeah." She tightened her arms around him. "I understand. It's us or the universe. You… you made the right choice."

His muscles gradually relaxed, as if a ton of weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. He buried his face in her hair and let out a long sigh.

"Thank you," he whispered with a shaky voice. Then, with a quiet voice, he spoke, "I couldn't do it, in the end. Too much of a coward. The Daleks would've conquered the Earth and moved on to the rest of the universe and I still couldn't do it."

"S'okay. It's over now, yeah?" Rose muttered comfortingly.

The Doctor nodded. He pulled back slightly and said, "Don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along, Rose."

"What happened after that? I mean, I opened the TARDIS, and you were about to do the delta wave thingy, then what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's arms tightened around her, as if he was bracing himself. Then, he let go and answered, "You came back to the Game Station and… and wiped the Daleks out."

Rose's eyes widened. She stared at the Doctor in disbelief. "_I_ wiped them out? But… I can't even kill a cockroach. How could I wipe out an entire Dalek army?"

"You had the entire vortex running through you, Rose. And for that one brief moment, you had control over everything. Life, death, matter. You disintegrated all the Daleks. Down to the very atoms."

"_Disintegrated_?" Rose's eyes widened in shock.

The Doctor tensed, but nodded.

"_All_ of them?" Rose asked with trepidation.

"Yes."

Rose turned away. She wasn't sure how to react to this. She was relieved that the Daleks were gone. But she had committed genocide. She stared at her hands. There was no blood on them, but there might as well be. And to think, not too long ago, she wanted to save that lone Dalek in Van Statten's morbid museum. And now, here she was, murderer of the Dalek race.

"Rose," the Doctor spoke softly as he took her hand in his. He caressed her hand almost reverently, then spoke, "You saved the Earth. All those humans, _safe_. Because of you. You forgave me, now forgive yourself, too. Cause if it weren't for you, we'd all be dead by now."

Rose nodded, but said nothing. Truth be told, it was far easier for her to forgive the Doctor than to forgive herself. She loved him. She would have forgiven him almost anything. But forgiving herself? That's a different story altogether.

"I mean it, Rose. No feeling guilty over this. You saved us. You did the right thing," the Doctor said, then added, "Well… apart from wrecking the TARDIS console and nearly killing yourself in the process."

Rose thwapped him. "I was trying to get back to you! It's not like I know how to pilot the TARDIS." She paused, then looked at him unsurely and asked, "Did I really damage the TARDIS?"

The Doctor grinned. "Nah. Nothing a bit of jiggery pokery won't fix."

Rose sighed in relief. She would've hated to cause permanent damage to this beloved ship. Suddenly, another thought popped in her mind.

"Where's Jack?" Rose asked.

The Doctor stiffened. He looked away and busied himself on the monitor. "Busy. Cleaning up the Game Station."

Rose frowned at him suspiciously. Why was he acting all… shifty? If Jack really was busy rebuilding the Earth, why didn't he say goodbye before leaving?

"I want to see him," Rose said.

The Doctor's jaws tensed.

"Doctor?" She gently laid her hand on his arm. "What's going on? Where's Jack?"

"I told you, he's busy. Stayed behind to help clean up the Game Station," he answered without looking.

"Well, let's go and help him then." Rose frowned. Something's wrong. She could tell by the way the Doctor was acting. What happened to Jack? Oh, God. He didn't die, did he?

The Doctor frowned. Then, his shoulders sagged, as if in defeat. He nodded and led them both out of the infirmary and into the console room. Once there, he began flipping the levers and turning the dials.

"So… are we going back to the Game Station?" Rose asked hopefully.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded tensely. He spun the wheel and flipped a lever. The TARDIS shook, then shuddered to a halt as she finished her dematerialization sequence.

Rose ran towards the door, but hesitated before opening the door. She turned to the Doctor and asked, "Is it safe out there?"

"Should be. It's only ten minutes after we left. There shouldn't be—" The Doctor swallowed uncomfortably. "Shouldn't be anyone left. Except Jack. Unless he's used his vortex manipulator and left already."

Rose's eyes widened. "What do you mean, there shouldn't be anyone left? What happened to everyone else? What about Lynda? And the station's staff members who went with Jack?"

"Dead. All of them." The Doctor looked away in guilt.

Rose froze in horror. "Lynda too?"

"Yes." He looked away, not daring to look at Rose in the eye, now.

Rose turned away from the door and walked back to him. She placed a hand on his cheek and turned him to face her. "S'not your fault."

"Is it? I told her she'd be safe on the observation deck. Hydra Combination door. Even Daleks would've had trouble getting through that. And you know what they did? Went through the window, instead." The Doctor's eyes were a maelstrom of anger. "I didn't think. I should've sent her away with you."

Rose felt a pang of jealousy at Lynda, then guilt for feeling jealous over a woman who must have died in a violent manner to defend the Earth. Rose hadn't liked how cozy Lynda seemed to be with the Doctor. And now the Doctor— _her_ Doctor —was beating himself up over the woman. Logically, she knew he was angry at himself simply because he felt responsible for Lynda's death, but the jealous part of her couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor hadn't felt some sort of attraction towards Lynda and was regretting that he never got a chance to be with the woman.

_But he told me he loved me._

But he was still a man. Even a man in love could still be swayed. Hadn't she learned her lesson with Jimmy?

_Stop it. The Doctor is not Jimmy Stone. Besides, Lynda's dead. Have some sympathy!_ Rose berated herself. She was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to hate Lynda for stealing away her Doctor's affections. On the other hand, she felt guilty for hating the woman. And as jealous as she was over Lynda, Rose couldn't help but feel sorry for the Doctor.

"I'm sorry," Rose mumbled half-heartedly. In the end, it was all she could say without sounding like a scorned lover.

The Doctor's shoulders sagged. He slumped down on the jump seat and buried his head in his hands.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Rose and the Doctor turn to the door in alarm, then relaxed when they saw Jack walk in.

"Thought you'd left without me, Doc." Jack eyed the Doctor somewhat accusingly.

"Jack! You okay?" Rose ran and threw her arms around him.

"Rose? How'd you get back?" Jack frowned at her, but returned her hug just the same.

"Long story," Rose said with a half-hearted laugh before proceeding to tell him about opening the TARDIS' console, but after that, her memories were a little hazy. She knew only what the Doctor had told her earlier: that she looked into the Time Vortex and wiped out the Daleks. But she didn't know any of the details. Come to think of it, she was curious on that too. So, she glanced sideways at the Doctor and said, "Maybe the Doctor can tell you the rest. I don't remember much of what happened after I opened the console."

"She looked into the time vortex and managed to gain control of it," said the Doctor as he got up from the jump seat and walked over to stand next to Rose before continuing, "Most people would've been driven mad by the time vortex. It gives you power, but at a price. And that price is your sanity. If a Time Lord were to do that, he'd turn into a vengeful god. But not Rose. You just had to be the exception, didn't you?"

"I'm just too good." Rose grinned at the Doctor. He smiled at her fondly in return.

"Anyway, there I was, surrounded by Daleks. I couldn't do it, Jack. The delta wave would've wiped out _everyone_, including humans," the Doctor said before looking away in guilt.

"I know," Jack said softly. There was no blame in his voice, but the Doctor still couldn't look Jack in the eye.

"Hey," Rose placed a comforting hand on the Doctor's arm, "It all worked out in the end, yeah?"

"Thanks to you," the Doctor said with a fond gaze at her. Rose smiled back at him. She would never get tired of that look in his eyes.

"Aww. You two are just too adorable," Jack said with a teasing grin.

Rose and the Doctor blushed and looked away from each other.

The Doctor cleared his throat embarrassedly and told Jack about Rose spreading the words Bad Wolf everywhere and the part where she wiped out the Daleks.

"Wow, Rosie. Remind me never to get on your bad side," Jack said to Rose jokingly.

Rose laughed. "Don't worry. That's reserved only for people with toilet plunger and egg beater arms."

"What's a toilet plunger?" Jack frowned in confusion.

"What, don't you get clogged toilets in the 51st century?" Rose asked.

"No. By his time, they've got particle disintegrators built into each toilet. No flushing necessary," the Doctor explained.

"Really? What happens if you stick an arm in there?" Rose asked.

"Nothing. It's got failsafes. It won't activate if it detects living tissue inside," Jack explained.

"And why'd you want to stick your arm in there, anyway? That's nasty, that is," the Doctor said with a shudder.

"I dunno. Suppose you drop your ring in there or something," Rose said with a shrug.

"Anyway, what happened after the Daleks are gone?" Jack asked.

The Doctor hesitated. He looked away for a bit before finally answering, "She let the time vortex go and fainted. That's why I rushed her back in the TARDIS. Had to check and make sure it's all gone."

Rose frowned. Why was the Doctor looking somewhat… guilty? Shifty? As if there was something he's not saying.

Jack looked between the two, as if he was suspicious as well. But then he nodded and let the matter go instead.

"Anyway, close the door, Jack," the Doctor said before walking over to the console, "Where should we go next? How about Barcelona? The planet, not the city. They've got dogs with no noses!"

"Actually, I think I'm just gonna get something to eat and then rest, if that's okay with you guys," said Jack after closing the TARDIS doors.

"Fine by me," the Doctor said before starting the dematerialization sequence. "We'll just float in the time vortex for awhile."

"Actually, while Jack sleeps, is it okay if I visit my Mum?" Rose asked.

The Doctor sobered up at the mention of Jackie.

"Stop pouting. It's only for a few hours," Rose said while nudging him.

"I'm not pouting. Do you see me pouting? Look, not pouting!" He put on a fake grin.

"Give it up, Doc. We all saw that frown." Jack clapped the Doctor's shoulders jokingly. The Doctor sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Powell Estate it is. But don't expect me to go in with you," said the Doctor.

"Don't worry. I'll just tell her you're busy fixing up the TARDIS." Rose patted his arm.

The Doctor nodded in relief, then set the course for 20th century London.

"I'll be in the kitchen. Have fun, kids!" Jack said as he waved goodbye and disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS.

With Jack gone, Rose turned her attention back to the Doctor. In all the rush and excitement that happened, she belatedly realized she had forgotten something else. Or rather, some_one_. She shuffled her feet nervously and waited until he finished the dematerialization sequence. The TARDIS groaned and swayed to and fro as they landed her regular spot next to Powell Estate.

"Doctor," Rose started when the Doctor finished his round around the console.

The Doctor paused and looked up expectantly.

"I…" Rose shifted from foot to foot.

"Rose? What is it?" The Doctor rushed towards her with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Nothing, I… it's just… I just realized… I mean… I haven't told Mickey. Well, I haven't really been dating Mickey ever since I started traveling with you, anyway. I mean, not _properly_ dating. But I haven't really officially broken it off with him. And now that you and I are… you know… I should break up with him."

The Doctor grew quiet. He had a stony expression in his eyes. "I shouldn't have slept with you."

Rose's heart froze. "D-do you regret it?"

The Doctor clenched his jaws and ran his hand down his face. "I knew you're still dating Mickey. I shouldn't have kissed you. Shouldn't have lost control."

"Oh." Rose looked away. Pain filled her heart. But this was her fault, too. It takes two to tango, after all. The Doctor may have kissed her, but he did so with her permission.

And now, he was regretting it. And it _hurt_. It felt like he was rejecting her.

It was her own fault, anyway. She should have at least waited until she broke up with Mickey first.

That was fine. She's an adult. She could take this calmly. Like a grown woman. If he wanted to go back to being just friends, that's… that's fine. She would accept it. She wouldn't be angry, or throw any tantrums, or lash out in any way.

_It hurts_.

And if… if he didn't want to travel with her anymore, she would understand. She would leave, calmly, without any tears.

_It hurts._

Her throat tightened. A tear streaked down her face. Unbidden. Unwanted. She shouldn't cry. This was her own fault, after all. She should be able to take this calmly and without any emotions whatsoever.

_But it hurts_.

Another tear fell down.

"Rose," the Doctor cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away. He took a deep, shuddering breath, then drew her into his arms and laid his head atop hers. "I love you. I meant every word. Rassilon help me, I shouldn't, but I do. And I'm not giving you up."

Rose clutched the lapels of his jacket. The tightness in her throat eased slightly.

The Doctor tilted her chin up and kissed her lips.

"Go on. Go break up with Ricky. Put him out of his misery. But after that, you're coming straight back to me, got it?" The Doctor said.

Relief filled her heart. Rose smiled. She nodded, then stood on her tip-toes to kiss him.

"I love you," she whispered to him. The Doctor smiled and tightened his arms around her.

"You're mine, Rose. And make sure Ricky-boy knows that," the Doctor said possessively before finally letting her go.

oOoOoOo


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

While Rose was off visiting her mother, the Doctor went to join Jack in the kitchen, partly because waiting for Rose in the console room would be boring and partly to prevent the TARDIS from freaking out over Jack and causing havoc as a result.

He was just a few steps away from the kitchen when he heard Jack yell, "Ow! What the—"

The Doctor felt a sudden wave of alarm from the TARDIS. He rushed to the kitchen, then froze when he saw the refrigerator door flapping menacingly at Jack. Then, he burst into laughter.

"Doc! A little help?" Jack said while staying warily away from the flapping refrigerator door.

The Doctor touched the wall and sent out a telepathic wave of calmness to the TARDIS. Standing so close to Jack was difficult for the Doctor as well. He had to constantly tamp down his urge to flee every time he got anywhere near the man.

"There now. It's alright. It's just Jack. You know Jack," he purred at the TARDIS. The refrigerator door slowed down a little before hesitantly closing itself back up.

"What was that all about?" Jack frowned in confusion while looking at the Doctor strangely.

"The TARDIS. She was just surprised by you, that's all. Should be okay now. Go on," the Doctor nodded towards the refrigerator.

Jack eyed the now silent refrigerator unsurely. He took one hesitant step after another. When no refrigerator doors flapped to attack him, Jack bravely opened the door and grabbed some ham and cheese. He sighed in relief when the refrigerator door didn't attack him. He hurriedly closed the door before hunting down some bread from the cabinets.

The Doctor took a seat and watched in silence as Jack prepared his sandwich. When he was done, Jack took a seat across the Doctor and raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

Instead of eating his sandwich right away, Jack stared at the Doctor with a curious frown.

"There's something you're not telling me," Jack said after awhile.

The Doctor hesitated. This wouldn't be easy to say. He wasn't sure how Jack would receive it. At the very best, the man would pout for awhile but be otherwise okay in the end. At worst, Jack would end up resenting them all and leaving the team for good. Not only that, it would hurt Rose to see her best friend leave. It would hurt her even more to know that Jack left because of something she did.

"Come on, Doc. Just spit it out. What is it?" Jack asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath, then asked, "How much do you remember from the Game Station? Right after Rose left?"

Jack frowned. "I remember fighting the Daleks in the corridor. I blacked out after that. The next thing I remember, I woke up in a pile of dust and heard the TARDIS dematerialize. I ran to the control room but missed you guys by a fraction of a second."

"You didn't black out, Jack. You died."

"What?" Jack looked at him in disbelief.

"The Daleks shot you. You were dead, Jack."

"Then why am I alive now?"

"It was Rose. When she was the Bad Wolf, she brought you back to life. Only, she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't die, Jack. Not ever."

"What, so I'm immortal now?"

"Yes." The Doctor looked away from Jack uncomfortably.

Jack frowned in suspicion at this. "There's something else you're not telling me, is there?"

The Doctor let out a long breath. "You're a fixed point in time, now. That's why you can't die. If you get killed, you'll just be brought back to life. Your timeline is _fixed_. Your timeline has been permanently grafted onto the time vortex. That's also why the TARDIS was freaking out just now."

"You mean the refrigerator? _That's_ what it's all about?"

The Doctor nodded. "Just like Time Lords, the TARDIS is a time sensitive being. Your timeline was supposed to be short. It should have ended at the Game Station. But now it's on a continuous feedback loop with the time vortex. Anytime your timeline reaches completion, it draws energy from the time vortex, thereby extending it again, making your timeline _fixed._ It can't ever end. And for a time sensitive being, it just feels _wrong_. That's why the TARDIS tried to attack you. She reacted on instinct."

"Wrong? I'm _wrong_ to you?" A flash of hurt shone in Jack's eyes.

"Yes— no! I mean… I didn't mean _wrong_ wrong. I meant…" the Doctor took a deep breath. He had to choose his words carefully. He didn't want Jack to leave. It would only hurt Rose. "You're constantly drawing energy from the time vortex. To me and the TARDIS, it feels like standing next to a black hole."

Jack frowned. He bowed his head low and stared unseeing at the table. Lost in thought, he picked up his sandwich and started eating absent-mindedly.

For awhile, neither spoke. The Doctor sat awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Was Jack angry? He probably had every right to. The Doctor wouldn't blame the man if he decided to leave now. He could only hope that Jack wouldn't blame Rose. She shouldn't be blamed for what happened. She didn't know what she was doing. All she wanted was to save her friend. If anything, the Doctor felt he was to blame for all this. If he had only come up with a better way to deal with the Daleks, none of this would have happened. Rose would never have had to put her life in danger. Jack would still be blissfully mortal. And Lynda would still be alive. All this was his fault.

After awhile, Jack finally looked up and asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

The Doctor stared at him in surprise. "Why would I want you to leave?"

"I dunno," Jack shrugged weakly. "You said being around me is like standing next to a black hole."

A pang of guilt rose in the Doctor's hearts. There was such an air of sadness around Jack now. It was so disconcerting to see the normally cheerful man sit there with a look of defeat in his eyes.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that," the Doctor mumbled apologetically.

"Then what did you mean?" Jack looked at him intently, as if his decision to stay or leave would depend entirely upon the Doctor's next words. For all the Doctor knew, it very well could be.

The Doctor tensed. He took a deep breath. He could see now that Jack was hurt by what he said. He needed to choose his words carefully.

"I'm not saying it's comfortable being around you right now. I'm sorry, Jack. I can't help it. It's instinct. But I want you to stay. The TARDIS is your home, too," the Doctor said.

"But you can't even stand to be around me," Jack stared accusingly at the Doctor.

"I'll get used to it. And so will the TARDIS. I can put dampeners on her so she won't be as sensitive around you. I didn't tell you so you would leave. I just thought you needed to know." The Doctor took a deep breath and added, "Stay, Jack. Please."

Jack sighed, then nodded. "Can you reverse it?"

"You don't want to be immortal?" The Doctor looked at Jack in surprise. There were countless people who would sacrifice their own mother to have what Jack now have. He lost count on the number of times he stopped madmen from killing people in their quest for immortality.

Jack took a deep breath and leaned back in thought. "Don't get me wrong. It's nice not having to worry about dying. And it might even be fun for awhile. But I'm guessing after a few billion years, it would get pretty tiring. I'm going to have to watch everyone die while I live on."

The Doctor nodded. In some ways, he was impressed that Jack understood the curse that came with immortality when so many others failed to see it. But hearing Jack say it made him sad as well. The Doctor knew what it felt like to watch everyone you care about die while you had no choice but to live on. He would never wish it on anyone, least of all Jack. Unfortunately, that was exactly what Jack would have to endure in his future.

"So, can you?" Jack asked again. "Reverse it, I mean?"

The Doctor looked at Jack sadly, then shook his head. "Sorry, Jack. Wouldn't even know where to begin."

"What about Rose? Can _she_ do it?"

The Doctor's jaws tensed. Jack had no idea what the Bad Wolf had almost cost Rose. If she hadn't let go in time, she would have burned to death.

"She can't. It's gone. Completely gone," the Doctor said without looking.

Jack rose his eyebrow at this. He frowned at the Doctor suspiciously. "Doc, if there's something you're not telling me…"

"She can't do it, Jack. Not ever. Just leave it at that." The Doctor replied tersely.

Jack frowned. Clearly, he wasn't satisfied with this answer. He sighed, then shook his head and said, "I'm going to bed."

The Doctor didn't answer and just watched as Jack got up, placed his dishes in the dishwasher, then started towards the kitchen door. But before he exited, he paused, turned back to look at the Doctor, and asked, "I _can_ get into my room, right? The TARDIS isn't going to freak out and attack me again?"

"Nope. Should be alright, now. But just in case, yell if something happens," the Doctor said.

Jack nodded, then turned to leave.

"Jack," the Doctor called him before he could leave.

Jack paused and glanced back at the Doctor.

"Rose doesn't know," the Doctor said. Surprised, Jack spun to face the Doctor fully.

"She doesn't?" Jack frowned in confusion.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Jack looked at the Doctor suspiciously.

The Doctor leaned back and sighed. "Didn't want to stress her out. She's had enough on her plate already."

Jack pursed his lips in disapproval, then sighed. "You can't keep this from her forever, Doc. What if something happens and she sees me rising from the dead? How are you going to explain that?"

"I'm not keeping this from her forever! Just… not now. Not yet. Jack, she cried over the Daleks. How do you think she'll react when she realized what she's done to you?"

Jack frowned in disapproval, then sighed in resignation. "And when are you planning to tell her?"

The Doctor shrugged. "When the time's right."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shook his head. Instead, he said, "You better tell her soon, Doc. She'll be angry with you if you keep this from her for long."

"I know." The Doctor bowed his head in guilt. But he'd rather have Rose angry with him than with herself. He knew what it felt like to hate and blame himself for things he'd done, even if he'd done it to save others. He would never wish that burden on Rose.

He didn't even bother to look up when Jack eventually left the kitchen.

oOo

Her mother hadn't been pleased when Rose finally popped back in their apartment. As it turned out, the Doctor missed by a couple of months. It was close to Christmas now. The minute Rose walked in, Jackie started complaining over (non-existent) wrinkles that Rose apparently caused because she didn't even bother to call her mother to tell her that she was alive. Rose felt somewhat guilty over that (honestly, it was only a few hours since she left her Mum. How was she supposed to know it had been two months for her mother?), but a part of her was glad the Doctor refused to come to the apartment with her. Who knows how many slaps her mother would have given him this time.

And then Mickey showed up. The guilt inside her returned full-force. Once again, Rose was reminded of her conversation with the Doctor. She needed to break up with Mickey. She and Mickey had been in a sort of dating limbo the past year or so. They weren't really dating but they weren't really 'just friends', either. When Mickey told her he was dating Trisha Delaney, Rose knew that whatever she had with Mickey was over right then and there. Still, Mickey continued to come over whenever she and the Doctor went to visit Jackie. Sometimes, Rose wondered if the whole thing with Trisha Delaney might have been a lie and that Mickey was still hoping that Rose would get back together with him.

Mickey deserved a proper break-up. It really was unfair of her to keep him in limbo like that. But knowing the animosity between him and the Doctor, Rose wasn't sure how to break it to him. Mickey would be mad for sure.

Still, it needed to be done, both for Mickey and the Doctor's sake. Rose took a deep breath. She would do this. She had to end it with Mickey now. But not here. Not with her mother within earshot.

"Mickey," Rose finally spoke. "Can we go somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure. Where to?" Mickey asked.

"Dunno," Rose shrugged. Didn't matter, really. As long as it's away from here. "It's Christmas, yeah? Let's go shopping or something."

"Alright," Mickey replied with a shrug before getting up from the sofa.

"Yep." Rose nodded before getting up from her seat. She told her mom she'd be out with Mickey a bit before leaving out the door with him.

oOo

Wharton Street was, as usual, very crowded this time of year. With Christmas just around the corner, street vendors selling Christmas-themed arts and crafts filled the square while shoppers milled around in search of the perfect last-minute gifts. Belatedly, Rose realized that she hadn't bought any Christmas gifts for her mother. But now's not the time to shop. Not when she was here to break up with Mickey. Besides, she didn't have any Earth money on her, anyway.

"How's Trisha?" Rose asked out of the blue.

"Don't know. Haven't seen her in months." Mickey shrugged. He glanced at Rose suspiciously and asked, "Why?"

Rose bit her lips and glanced guiltily at him. "I haven't been fair to you, have I? I mean, I just swanned off for a year. We barely even see each other now, much less go on dates."

Mickey shrugged again, but said nothing. He stopped and looked at Rose intently. "I wasn't really dating Trisha. You know that, right? I was just… I lied, okay?"

"I know." Rose replied without any hints of malice or bitterness in her voice. She had suspected he might've been lying from the very first time he told her about Trisha Delaney back when they caught Margaret the Slitheen. Mickey was just jealous of the Doctor. Even Rose could see that, even though she never called him out on it.

"Honest, Rose. I was just… you were gone with the Doctor all the time and I—"

"Mickey, it's okay. I know. I understand."

"Oh." Mickey sighed in relief.

To be honest, at this point, it didn't really matter to her whether he'd actually been seeing Trisha or not. She was breaking up with him. In fact, part of her wished he _was_ still dating Tricia. It would have made what she was about to say to him easier.

"You didn't drag me out here to shop, did you?" Mickey asked.

"No," Rose looked away.

"Oh."

"Mickey, I… I know I haven't been around much. And it's not fair to you. I don't want you to keep on waiting for me to come back. Cause I'm never going to stay. Not ever. I don't want you to put your life on hold for me. So, I… I think we should just be friends."

Mickey didn't answer. He turned away from Rose and just stood there in silence. For a long time, neither spoke.

"It's the Doctor, isn't it?" Mickey blurted out after awhile.

"Mickey—"

"No, Rose. It's _my_ turn to speak now." Mickey spun to face her. He looked at her angrily and said, "You were right. It _isn't_ fair to me. Cause you just swanned off and left me for a year. And you know what? I stuck by you anyway. You went off with another bloke and I still stuck by you. Cause you know why? I _love_ you, Rose. Now what about him, eh? Can he say the same? He _dumped_ you. And you still came back to him. I don't know what you see in him. So what if he's got a fancy spaceship? I _stayed_. I never left you."

"He did it to save my life, Mickey. He was _dying_!"

"_Oh-ho_! He's _dying_! And that made it alright to just dump you back here on Earth? No goodbye, no nothing? Just, 'So long. See you. It was fun while it lasted'?"

"Mickey, it's not like that! And he left the TARDIS here, too. He wouldn't have done that if he thought he would survive."

Mickey turned away angrily. After awhile, Mickey's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I knew you were in love with him."

"Y-you did?" Rose blinked in surprise.

"Well, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Mickey spun back to face her. "What girl would just swan off, leave her boyfriend and her family, and risk her life _repeatedly_ for a bloke she feels nothing for? I was just too stupid. I kept on hoping you'd leave him someday and stay here once you get your fill of seeing the universe. But you were never going to stay, were you? Between me and him, it was always going to be him, isn't it?"

Rose looked away. Mickey's words were far too true that she couldn't help but feel the stab of guilt in her heart again.

Suddenly, the window behind them shattered. Mickey and Rose ducked to cover themselves from the shards of glass that went flying everywhere. Rose looked around and saw three robot-like Santas standing in front of them with their trombones aimed at her and Mickey.

Reacting quickly, Rose grabbed Mickey's hand and ran while ducking from the shots fired by the robot Santas. In the midst of screaming and chaos, Rose managed to hail a taxi and scrambled to get inside.

As the taxi sped away with her and Mickey, Rose looked out the window and sighed in relief when she saw that the robot santas didn't follow them. But that didn't mean she and Mickey were safe. No, far from it. She had a feeling those robot santas would be back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rose and Mickey came home to see her mother running down the stairs of the apartment, shrieking, while the neighbors peeked out their doors in curiosity. Alarmed, Rose and Mickey immediately ran up the stairs to catch up with Jackie.

"Mum? Mum! What's going on?" Rose ran and caught her mother as they collided with each other halfway up the stairs.

"Rose! Don't go in! The Christmas tree! It's alive!" Jackie blurted out hysterically.

"What Christmas tree? We don't—" Rose's voice trailed off when she noticed something moving at the top of the staircase. Her eyes widened when she saw what looked like a Christmas tree spinning violently and cutting a part of the metal framework that held up the stairs. Neighbors screamed and ran inside their apartments when the saw the spinning tree. One brave man tried to come up behind the tree and whack it with a baseball bat, only to have the bat sawed in half. The man stared at his demolished bat and ran back to his apartment.

The tree continued into the stairwell and started clumsily stumbling down the stairs.

"Run!" Rose yelled as she grabbed her mother and Mickey and ran down the stairs. As they ran, Rose took out her mobile and dialed the TARDIS.

"_Rose?"_ The Doctor answered with a confused tone.

"Doctor! There's robot Santas and killer Christmas trees trying to kill us."

"_Where are you?"_

"The apartment. In the stairwell."

Before Rose could hang up, there was a familiar groaning and whooshing sound. She turned and saw the TARDIS materialize on the landing just below them. With relief evident in their faces, Rose, Jackie, and Mickey scrambled downstairs and tumbled into the TARDIS.

"Rose! You alright?" The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her over as soon as the trio made it safely inside.

"Yeah. M'fine. It didn't get me," Rose said.

"Good. Stay here," the Doctor said before taking out his sonic screwdriver and exiting the TARDIS doors. Not wanting to let him face the killer Christmas tree alone, Rose opened the door, just in time to see the Doctor aim his sonic screwdriver at the tree. The tree exploded in a shower of sparks.

Rose sighed in relief and walked out the door to join him. Sensing that the danger was gone, Jackie and Mickey tumbled out after her.

"What the hell was that?" Mickey asked as he looked at the charred remains of the killer Christmas tree.

The Doctor stared at the burnt remains on the floor and muttered, "Remote controlled. Who's controlling it?"

The Doctor looked around, then stopped when he saw three robot Santas standing not far from the apartment. The middle one seemed to be holding a remote control.

"That's them! The ones we saw earlier!" Mickey said.

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at them. The three robot Santas retreated and teleported away.

"They were after us. We were at the fair at Wharton Street. And they started shooting at us," Rose said.

"Why would they be after us?" Jackie asked.

"Good question. Why you? You're not special. Just simple little apes. Why not me? I'm right there down the street. But they came after you instead. Why you? Why the three of you?" The Doctor frowned, then spun sharply to face them. "Right. You three, TARDIS. Now."

"Oi! I could slap you, I could!" Jackie scowled at him.

"Jackie, you could stay here and hope they don't come back, or you could go in the TARDIS, where it's safe, and maybe shut up long enough so I can figure out what they are and why they're after you." The Doctor said testily.

"Alright, alright! No need to get your knickers in a twist." Jackie rolled her eyes, but followed after the Doctor and Rose anyway as they went back inside the TARDIS.

Once everyone was safely inside the TARDIS, the Doctor started the dematerialization sequence.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked.

"Just moving her down the street. Can't have your neighbors snooping around, wondering what a blue box is doing in the middle of the stairs," the Doctor replied. The TARDIS shook a bit, then halted with a thud, signaling that she had landed somewhere.

"Where are we?" Mickey asked. When the Doctor didn't reply, Mickey peeked out the TARDIS doors.

Jackie went to join Mickey and peeked over his shoulders to look. Her eyes widened. When she noticed a familiar looking building not far from the TARDIS.

"Oh, it's the apartment!" Jackie said in surprise.

"Told you, I only moved her down the street. Now," the Doctor turned to Rose and scanned his sonic screwdriver over her. A few seconds later, his eyes widened. He froze, then rushed over and scanned Mickey and Jackie.

"Stop bleeping me!" Jackie swatted his sonic screwdriver away.

Completely non-plussed, the Doctor turned to Rose and said, "It's not them, it's you."

"What do you mean, it's me?" Rose asked.

"Bad Wolf, Rose. Remember that?" The Doctor said.

"Yeah, you told me. But Doctor, Bad Wolf's gone. You said it's gone," said Rose.

"What's Bad Wolf?" Jackie asked.

The Doctor's jaws tensed. He looked away from Jackie, as if in guilt, then replied, "When Rose opened the TARDIS' console, she looked into the time vortex and became the Bad Wolf. But it's gone. The Bad Wolf is gone." To Rose, he said, "At least, that's what I thought. But there's still traces left in you. Not much, but enough to attract attention. That must be what's drawing them in."

"They? Who's _they_?" Mickey asked.

"Good question." The Doctor raced to the console and turned on the monitor. Rose went to stand next to him so she could see what was on the monitor. A map of the area around Powell Estate popped up.

"Are you scanning for alien tech?" Rose grinned at him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but replied anyway, "Yes, I'm scanning for alien tech. Happy now?"

"Very." Rose grinned smugly.

The Doctor shook his head in bemusement, then focused his attention back on screen while muttering, "They transmatted away. But where? There are some alien tech in London— remind me to get to that later, Rose —but no sign of our Santas anywhere. Where did they go?"

The map on screen slowly zoomed out, as if it was scanning for something. It kept on zooming out, past London, past England, past Earth, and eventually stopped when it had a map of the entire solar system on screen. A red dot was blinking between Mars and Earth, but it seemed to be moving towards Earth. The Doctor zoomed in on the mysterious red dot. An image of an asteroid popped up.

"An asteroid?" Rose asked.

"Too fast to be an asteroid. Probably be artificial," the Doctor said as he typed a few commands into the console. Circular writing popped up next to the asteroid. His eyes widened.

"Ha! Sycorax!" The Doctor slammed his palms down the console and grinned in triumph. "Fantastic! And you why that's fantastic, Rose?"

"Why?" Rose grinned. She loved it when he was like this. There was a gleam in his eyes that told her that the Doctor was about to save the world— again.

"Because now we know what we're dealing with. And I know exactly what to do!" Said the Doctor.

"Hang on a minute. What's the Sycorax? And what's Bad Wolf? Why the hell do they want Rose?" Jackie asked.

"It's the temporal energy. Rose is filled with traces of temporal energy from when she looked into the time vortex. And that sort of energy could power up their ship for years," the Doctor answered.

"What, they want to use Rose as fuel? I mean, no offense, but that's just ridiculous," Mickey looked at him incredulously.

"Let me tell you something about temporal energy, Ricky—"

"It's _Mickey_." Mickey walked up to the Doctor and glared at him challengingly.

"Ricky. Don't you know your own name?"

"Will you two stop it?!" Rose got in between the two bickering males and shoved them apart. "Now, Doctor, the Sycorax, what are they?"

"They're a violent race. Goes around the universe conquering any species whose technology is inferior to their own and then cart the victims off as slaves," the Doctor answered. He turned back to the monitor and muttered, "Something still doesn't add up. They were all the way in Mars. And there's only very little traces of the temporal energy in you. They shouldn't be able to detect you from that distance."

"Unless, they're already here before we got here?" Rose suggested.

The Doctor paused, then turned to her and grinned. "Knew I kept you around for a reason."

"Yeah? Sure that's the only reason?" Rose grinned teasingly with the tips of her tongue peeking out between her teeth. He grinned back and was about to lean forward to kiss her when Jackie cleared her throat.

"Oh, don't mind me. Just clearing my throat," Jackie said with a voice that was deceptively calm.

The Doctor and Rose sprang apart. Rose blushed and belatedly remembered that they were not alone right now. She spared a quick glance at Mickey and noticed him scowling while looking pointedly away. A pang of guilt rose in her heart. How could she have forgotten that he was there?

"Right! Sycorax!" The Doctor spoke in a voice that sounded a little too bright. "If they're already here, then the one near Mars would be the mothership. But that means they were here even before Rose and I got here."

"So that means what, they knew Rose is going to be here before she even comes here?" Mickey asked, though there was a slight edge in his voice that told her he was still angry at her.

"But how would they know? I've never met a Sycorax before… have I?" Rose asked him. "And Bad Wolf only happened less than a day ago for us. Or were they at the Game Station?"

"No. The only aliens there were me and the Daleks. I should know. I scanned the entire station while Jack and I were looking for you." The Doctor paused.

"Oh! Where's Jack?" Rose said when she belatedly realized Jack wasn't here. "Is he sleeping?"

"Who's Jack?" Jackie asked. "Is there someone else in here?"

"Yeah. Friend of ours. Met him in 1941 in the middle of the blitz. He's been traveling with us since," Rose said, then added, "Though, he's actually from the 51st century."

"Then what's he doing in 1941? How'd he get to 1941, anyway? Does he have a TARDIS too?" Jackie asked.

"No, he's human like us. He's a Time Agent. Well, _former_ Time Agent. By his time, they've got this thing called a vortex manipulator that they use to travel through time," Rose explained without getting into details. No need to tell her mother that Jack had actually tried to scam them when they first met. "Anyway, shouldn't we wake him up?"

"Good idea. Ricky! Go wake him up," The Doctor ordered.

"It's _Mickey!_" Mickey protested. "And why should I wake him up? I don't even know where his room is!"

"Oh, don't start that again! _I'll_ go wake him up. _You two,_" Rose glanced at the two men, then looked away in guilt when her eyes met Mickey's. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Without waiting for their replies, Rose sauntered away towards Jack's room.

oOo

Jackie glanced suspiciously at the two men who were steadfastly pretending not to glare at each other from across the room. She didn't know exactly what was going on between the Doctor and Mickey, but she could guess: Rose. Jackie wasn't blind. She could see that Rose was in love with the Doctor. She had seen that sort of blind devotion in her daughter before with Jimmy Stone, and now she was seeing it again with the Doctor. And judging from the looks the two had been sending each other all day, that love and devotion was returned this time around.

Jackie sighed. Well, she supposed the Doctor wasn't that bad of a choice. He's certainly worlds better than Jimmy. At least she could trust the Doctor to take good care of her daughter. And having a genius alien around who could fix broken appliances and stop alien invaders all in the same day could certainly be useful.

Problem was, Rose was supposed to still be dating Mickey.

Or was she?

Did something happen between those three that Jackie didn't know about? Didn't Rose go out with Mickey earlier? Judging by the poisonous glares Mickey had been sending the Doctor all day and the guilty looks on Rose's face, Jackie guessed that something _did_ happen.

Jackie sighed again. This was always going to happen. She knew from the moment she found out that her daughter was travelling with the Doctor that Rose and Mickey would eventually fall apart. It was obvious from the way Rose barely paid Mickey any attention the past couple of years. She just wished they had chosen a better time to have a lovers' tiff than in the middle of an alien attack.

"Right. I don't know what's going on between the three of you, but you better sort it out soon. I don't want Rose getting killed because you two can't get along," Jackie said as she glared intently at the two men.

"Don't tell me, tell _him_. _He's_ the one who stole my girlfriend!" Mickey pointed at the Doctor and glared at the alien.

"How can she be your girlfriend if you barely even went out on a date with her?" The Doctor countered back.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Mickey argued.

"ENOUGH! I don't want to hear any more peep from either of you. If you can't play nice, then don't bother speaking at all." Jackie glared at the two men, who had the grace to look away in guilt. "Now if I hear any more 'Ricky' vs. 'Mickey', both of you are going to get a slap, got it?"

Both men squeaked and nodded.

"_Good_." Jackie nodded in satisfaction and glared at the two men again— just to be sure.

oOo

After a few tense minutes, Rose finally returned with a slightly rumpled looking Jack in tow. Then, in typical Jack fashion, as soon as he saw Jackie, he homed in straight towards the elder Tyler.

"Hello. Captain Jack Harkness," Jack flashed Jackie a charming smile as he extended his hand in a greeting. Jackie blinked in surprise and accepted his handshake bemusedly, only to blink again in surprise when Jack kissed the back of her hand.

"Jack, that's my _Mum_." Rose glared at him in warning.

"So you're Mrs. Tyler? I can see where Rose gets her pretty looks from," Jack said with a five-thousand megawatt grin. Rose slapped her forehead and sighed. Both Jack and her mother were the biggest flirts in the universe. Having those two together in the same room was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Oh, you're a charmer, you are! Please, call me Jackie," Jackie said with a sweet smile.

The Doctor rolled his eyes while Mickey pretended to gag. Meanwhile, Rose wondered if the TARDIS could do her a huge favor and swallow her whole or teleport her somewhere less mortifying. Honestly, her mum was almost forty! It's practically embarrassing.

"Oi! Can we focus? Thanks," The Doctor said. He turned to Jack and said, "Right, don't know if Rose told you anything, but there's a—"

The Doctor's words were cut off at a sudden knock on the door. Everyone turned to look at each other.

"Who would be knocking on the TARDIS?" Mickey wondered out loud.

"Only one way to find out," the Doctor said before walking to the door.

"Doctor, wait! What if it's a Sycorax? Or one of those robot Santas? It could be a trap," Rose warned him.

"Doubt it'll be a Sycorax. They may be a warrior race, but they're not brave enough to do the dirty work themselves. And if it is one of their remote controlled robots, then I've got a welcoming packet for them," the Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver at her, then turned to the door and slowly opened it.

A human man in black military uniform and red beret stood in front of the TARDIS.

"Oh. Hello," the Doctor muttered in surprise.

"Doctor?" The soldier asked unsurely.

"Yes, that's me. Hello!" The Doctor waved cheerfully.

The soldier's eyes widened. He took a step back and gave the Doctor a military salute.

"Oh, don't salute!" The Doctor whined before stepping out the TARDIS completely.

"Doctor? Who is he?" Rose asked before joining the Doctor outside. Once outside, she froze in surprise. The TARDIS was surrounded by armed soldiers in unfamiliar black uniform, exactly like the one who had knocked on the TARDIS doors just now. There were several military SUVs nearby and a helicopter hovering above. Fortunately, despite being fully armed, none of them appeared to be pointing their guns at the Doctor. In fact, except for the lone soldier in front of them, everyone else seemed to be standing a respectful distance away from the TARDIS.

"They're UNIT. Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Used to work with them. Well, still do, I suppose," the Doctor explained to Rose.

"Sir, the Prime Minister requests your presence immediately," the soldier said.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Alright. Take me to your leader." To Rose, he whispered, "Always wanted to say that."

Rose grinned in amusement at his words.

oOo

The Doctor and his entourage were taken to UNIT headquarters underneath the Tower of London and were brought immediately to Harriet Jones. The relief on Harriet's' face when she saw the Doctor walk into UNIT headquarters was palpable.

"Doctor, thank you for coming," Harriet said as she greeted the Doctor. Spotting Rose, Harriet smiled and said, "And Rose! It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," Rose said with a grin. "So, Prime Minister?"

"Landslide majority," Harriet said with a proud smile.

"By the way, this is my Mum, Jackie, that's Mickey, and Jack," Rose introduced the rest of their entourage.

Harriet did a double take when she was introduced to Mickey. "Mickey? The boyfriend?"

"Uh…" Mickey shifted unsurely and glanced at Rose.

"Just… just a friend," Rose answered awkwardly. She couldn't look at Mickey in the eye. Their break-up was still too fresh. Having it constantly reminded felt more than a little awkward.

"Ah. You were the one on the phone," Harriet said.

"Y-yeah. That's… that's me," Mickey shifted unsurely. Rose's heart started to pound nervously. Mickey was technically responsible for destroying No. 10 Downing Street. And with Harriet Jones practically acknowledging it outloud in a room full of military officials, Rose was afraid of what the repercussions might be for Mickey. They're not going to arrest him now, were they?

"Good. We might need someone of your expertise," Harriet said with a firm nod, causing everyone else to blink in surprise. Still, Rose couldn't help but sigh in relief that Mickey wasn't going to get arrested on the spot. For now, anyway.

Harriet turned to the Doctor and began launching an explanation of the space probe Guinevere and the transmission they received from the Sycorax. Mid-way through their discussion, the Sycorax sent yet another threat, followed by several of UNIT's staff members walking out in a hypnotic trance. The pressure to act was even more desperate when they found out that it wasn't just UNIT's staff members who had been captured in a hypnotic trance, but people from all over the world as well.

With time running out, Harriet quickly agreed that the Doctor, Rose, Harriet herself, and her aide, Alex, would go to the Sycorax mothership using the TARDIS to speak on behalf of Earth and attempt to negotiate some sort of peace treaty. Meanwhile, Rose was given a bluetooth linked to her superphone, which would be kept at on at all times with an open line to UNIT headquarters so everyone there could listen in and follow last-minute orders from Harriet should negotiations fail.

As for Jack and Mickey, Harriet ordered them to attempt to hack into the Sycorax's computers and disable their entire weaponry and defense system.

oOo

The negotiations with the Sycorax had not gone entirely smoothly. The Doctor disabled the blood control— not that it stopped the Sycorax from continuing to threaten Earth. When the Sycorax leader refused to leave Earth alone, the Doctor challenged the Sycorax leader to a duel and won. However, not wanting to accept defeat, the Sycorax leader bargained again.

"Very well. We will leave, on one condition: give us the girl. The yellow one," said the leader while pointing at Rose.

"She's _not_ for trade!" The Doctor's eyes flashed dangerously at the leader.

"You would condemn this planet… for a _girl_?" The leader taunted. The rest of his crew laughed and jeered at the Doctor.

In the midst of all this chaos, Mickey spoke through the bluetooth Rose was wearing.

"_Rose, I've done it. Tell Harriet we're good to go,"_ said Mickey on the other line. Rose's eyes widened. She surreptitiously grabbed Harriet's hand and gently squeezed it. Harriet squeezed back, signaling she understood.

After that, Rose took a step forward and yelled out angrily, "Oi! _She_ is right here and can speak for herself, thanks! And I'm not some property to be traded and bargained with. So, no deal!"

"Foolish girl. Your pride will be your species' downfall," said the leader.

"I don't think so!" Harriet finally spoke. "As of now, your entire defense and weapons systems have been disabled. And every weapon on Earth right now is aimed and ready to fire at this ship. Now, tell me, how ready are you to die for the sake of one little planet?"

"Commander, energy build-up detected at marks zero-five, nine-eight-two, forty eight-twenty—"

"Nevermind that! FIRE!" The Sycorax Commander yelled out in anger. The crew started frantically working on the controls, but nothing happened. No noise, no movements, no… nothing.

"Weapons non-functional," reported one of the Sycorax crew.

"What?" The Sycorax Commander turned to his crewman in surprise. "Raise shields!"

"Shields also non-functional," replied another member of the crew.

The leader screamed in anger.

"_Leave_. This will be the last warning we will give you," Harriet said steely. To UNIT, she said, "Captain, on my mark, prepare to open fire."

There was no response on the other line, but Rose knew UNIT heard their Prime Minister's command.

"You will die with us!" The leader yelled.

"If it will save my planet, then I will die gladly," said Harriet.

The Commander seethed. He shifted from side to side, then growled in frustration.

"Grraaaah! Retreat!" The Commander finally yelled out to his crew.

"Good choice." Harriet said sternly. She held her chin up high and cast her gaze across the entire Sycorax crew and shouted, "Hear this, Sycorax! For your actions today, on behalf of the planet Earth, I hereby ban you and your entire species from ever entering Earth space. Should we detect your ship, we will not hesitate to open fire."

The Doctor took a step forward and spoke outloud to the entire Sycorax crew, "By the ancient rites of combat, which _your_ _leader_ violated in dishonor, as the rightful Champion and Winner of the Challenge, I forbid you from scavenging here for the rest of time. So, if you ever think you can get away with threatening this planet again, let me tell you this: Earth. Is. Defended!"

Amidst the angry yells of the Sycorax, the Doctor and the rest of the humans retreated into the TARDIS and headed back to Earth.

Down on Earth, all of humanity watched and cheered as the Sycorax ship retreated and vanished into the depths of space.

oOo

It was daytime when the TARDIS materialized back outside UNIT's headquarters. As soon as they landed, everyone tumbled out of the TARDIS. Apparently hearing the TARDIS arrive, Jackie ran out of the headquarters to tackle her daughter in a hug while Jack and Mickey trailed behind her to welcome the rest of the entourage back.

Out in the courtyard, Harriet turned to the Doctor and his entourage with a relieved smile and said, "Thank you, Doctor. Thank _all_ of you. Earth owes each and every one of you a great debt of gratitude."

"You're welcome," the Doctor replied with a pleased smile.

"And you, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harkness, that was, quite honestly, the most brilliant hacking I have ever seen," Harriet said.

"Aww, thank you," Jack said with a smile while Mickey flustered in a mix of pride and embarrassment.

Harriet glanced at the now clear sky, then back at the Doctor, "Do you think they will return?"

"They shouldn't. But if they do, you're prepared now. Earth will no longer be viewed as a primitive, defenseless little planet," said the Doctor.

Harriet nodded. "I just hope that will be enough." She took a deep breath and said, "They're not the first one."

"No," replied the Doctor, knowing fully that Harriet was referring to the Slitheen she helped stop a few months back.

"They won't be the last, will they?" Harriet asked with trepidation in her voice.

"Maybe." Seeing the worried look on Harriet's face, the Doctor added, "They're not all like that. Lots of species out there are peaceful. Who knows, someday you might just find that one friendly species you've been looking for. Well, other than me," the Doctor said with a grin.

Harriet took a deep breath and nodded. "What will you do now, Doctor?"

"Oh, this and that. Keep travelling. Still lots more to see in this universe," replied the Doctor.

"And if we need you, is there any way we can get in touch with you?" Harriet asked.

The Doctor thought for a minute. Before he could answer, Rose spoke up.

"You can ask my mum. She's got my phone number. And I'm always with him," Rose nodded at the Doctor. "I'll make sure he gets the message."

"There you go. Call Jackie. She'll pass on the message," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Oi! You better not be calling me at 3 a.m. in the morning!" Jackie protested.

"Don't worry. I promise, it's for emergencies only," Harriet assured her. To the Doctor, she said, "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded with a smile. After giving Harriet Jackie's phone number, they all said their farewells and filed back into the TARDIS, but Mickey stayed behind, claiming he'd rather take the bus home. The Doctor decided not to protest. To be honest, it was better this way. He didn't want to be around Mickey any more than the boy wanted to be around him.

As the TARDIS faded away, Harriet turned to Mickey and said, "Tell me, Mr. Smith, have you ever considered working for UNIT?"


End file.
